RED, GREEN AND A HIT ON THE TABLE

An imposing whole fish painted with bright red and green sauces graces almost every table at Contramar, a big, airy restaurant in the chic Roma Norte neighborhood of Mexico City.

Butterflied, grilled and adorned with a verdant parsley sauce and a smoky red adobo, this photogenic dish, pescado a la talla Contramar, has become synonymous with Mexico City, and its creator, chef Gabriela Camara.

But you do not have to visit Contramar to eat the fish. You can enjoy various versions at restaurants across the world, none of them run by Camara and many not even Mexican—in Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Brooklyn in the US, Manchester in England and Antiparos in Greece.

A take on a coastal Mexican classic, Contramar's pescado a la talla has become one of the world's favorite restaurant dishes, inspiring dozens of homages and even more Instagram posts.

It is this moment's miso black cod or Cronut—a dish whose distinctive technique and presentation have given it staying power well beyond the usual 15 minutes of social media fame.

"It is one of the best things I have ever eaten," said Nok Suntaranon, chef of Kalaya, a Thai restaurant in Philadelphia, who visited Contramar in 2023 and recently created a Thai-inspired version for a pop-up.

"It is such a smart idea. It is a beautiful presentation, it is super straightforward, it is simple, it is elegant."